Survivor
by Calico Yorki
Summary: Adapt. Survive. Prevail. Those are the only options. Those are how it has to be. She can't go on - she'll go on. That's the way it is for both halves. (Post-plot story, I feel good about this, please lend your suggestions; and yes, I will continue Crazy Love, don't worry.) The genres provided are most prevalent, but there will be action, and attempts at humor, rest assured.
1. Come Down

A single thread of fate, woven around a single atom. A single string of Life Fiber. A single particle of carbon. A speck of blood, and this was all that was needed. Victory, and thus the safety of the human race were assured, yes: one or two stray Life Fibers, without the guidance and control of their primordial progenitor, would not a new invasion make. All of the other stray Life Fibers disappeared, or burned up in the atmosphere. Without the will of the Primordial Life Fiber, or the maddened, vengeful zeal of one Kiryuin Ragyo to mobilize them, they had no means of continuing their fight. Without a leader, they reverted to very special, but very lifeless threads. Stripped of the will to fight, as it were.

Yet this one Life Fiber, which wound itself around this one atom of carbon, and this one fleck of blood, it could not give up. It found two of its brethren, and their newfound vitality fueled the weaving into a protective bundle around more carbon atoms, and more blood, and still more materials. The result was a little fuchsia bundle, so base, so fragile. This Life Fiber zygote demanded protection. And thus, it strung atoms from the decimation all around into a protective shell, and willed itself into Earth's gravitational pull. This was because, when a new body came to be, it would need food, and water, and other forms of sustenance. It would need air to breathe, and ground with which to stand upon. Already, a new form was coming into being: something strange, and special. The Life Fibers were still living beings, and they thus obeyed tenants familiar to life on Earth, and on all other planets:

_Adapt. Survive. Prevail._

Life Fibers adapted to their environment. They changed plans as the situation evolved. Patient tacticians were the favored servants of these alien nomads, outcasts and pariahs whose nihilistic desires would readily subordinate ingenious minds to the Life Fiber cause. Survival was paramount to the Life Fibers, like all life: all that mattered was feeding, reproducing, and propagating. The destruction of a planet's natural systems was their primary method, yes, but this had merely proven the most efficient way of going about it. Being clever adaptation specialists, they could easily find new means of survival if the population demanded it. A population reduced to one single, simple organism (keep in mind that a human is considered a simple organism, compared to the super organism known as a Primordial Life Fiber) would take any measures, stoop to any lows, if it meant the population which comprised that organism would survive. And thus, they would prevail. To survive through adaptation, to make ad hoc plans and temporary alliances, to swallow their pride as superior beings to ensure that they did not die…This was what Life Fibers considered to be victory.

The steel and plastic and special synthetic materials shell was falling apart, atom by atom, piece by piece. However, it had managed re-entry, and the molten outer container fell apart to reveal a humanoid cocoon. This easily fell to Earth, punching a crater nearly half-a-mile wide into the soil. At the bottom, the shell partially fell apart, leaving only skimpy armor. A pteruges skirt, the kind worn by Roman soldiers…Thigh-high boots…Long, slender gloves…A little vest, too, with a bow on the back; it went perfectly with the one on her head. All of it was pink and pinker, and this would have suited her just fine, had she the time to concern herself with looks. The eye which had been previously removed could not be saved, and new arms had been hastily made. As such, it would take quite some time to regain the coordination in them. But the mind, it had those skills…And not much else. Pain, and nausea, and fear, these were in no short supply. Wonder at continued existence was interrupted by her churning stomach, and she barely pitched over a deep fissure made by her impact in order to vomit. The Life Fibers in her resonated with glee, and this only made her ache worse as she wiped her mouth. Even those delighted strings began to realize the horror of the existence they had salvaged.

No superiors. No subordinates. No one to report to. No one to command. No parents. No siblings. No home. No place to practice her craft. Those big, pale golden ringlets seemed to sag beside her head. She could see the charred rear half of a lizard, destroyed by her impact, but this did not get the usual reaction. Was she supposed to delight in how even half-dead, with no direct effort, she could bring death and misery to innocent creatures? No, not right now. Right now, it just looked awfully sad and gross. The small act of gouging her tempered steel finger nails into the scorched Earth, scooping out a grave and burying the half-a-lizard were done partially as an apology, and partially because it was making her want to puke again. Given how her stomach was absolutely empty, this was not a pleasant prospect. Tears and blood both stained her deceptively delicate-looking eyelashes, so she gently wiped the steely filaments clean. When she opened her eye again, she was not entirely pleased to find herself still alive.

Up on her feet, she felt her usual impudent strength slowly returning. It was in flux, but it brought her up to the limp of the crater before she had to sit down. She dangled her skinny legs down the glassed sand, looking at her reflection. Her features did not look quite so perfect, and as she traced her uneven cheek bones and thin, pale lips, she realized that she had never looked more a mess. She'd never looked so human, either, but that was strangely discomforting. Would she be able to survive a life looking like this? She had learned to take the rough with the smooth on her off-days, but those were hard to recall, so she'd probably had to re-learn how she'd done it. Feeling hungry, desperately hungry, she searched for food. Her sense of smell drew her over to the rosy little flowers peeking out of a thorny bush. She looked at the buds, and a memory started to come back. That one aide had told her about rose buds. "They're a good thing to snack on when in a survival situation, if you happen to be lucky enough to find them," she'd explained while on a little nature hike. "They have more useful vitamins than several kinds of citrus." All that had seemed important then was all that seemed important now: they were sweet, but it was a delicate sweet, and they made her feel like she might be able to go on. Something let on that she had a much more efficient body for processing nutrients, but honestly, did she have time to mull over that?

Water, water, she needed water to drink. She knew that she had options. She could try to find a spring, and drink from that; but there were no animals around to follow, because they'd all fled on her impact. Were she to dig enough holes, and dig them deeply enough, just maybe she could hit water. That was a very small chance, and she always preferred absolutes. So, she went with the direct option. There were cacti that had survived the blast, but as exhausted as she was, she quickly grew frustrated to the point of tears at trying to reason out a way to get at them. Helpfully, the trailing ribbons from the bow on her back slashed out, taking the top off of a cactus. At her lowest already, she carefully bent over the cactus to lap at the dampness inside. It took her several minutes and an odd feeling of delirium, but she had enough moisture to walk away. She sat on a rock, and shook her head every few minutes. In half-an-hour, her mind was free of the dizzying lights and sounds, and she could keep walking.

There were buildings, far to her right, and a band of blackness becoming visible up ahead. When she reached the dark line, she stared at it for several minutes, trying to make sense of it. Yes, that was most certainly a road. Yes, it most certainly led towards the city off to her left. Did she want to follow it? Yes, she wanted to get to civilization, where she might find some chance at peaceful rest. No, she didn't want to deal with other people, when she wasn't sure she counted as a person at this very moment. That same lavender-haired assistant had told her about the things you want to do, the thing you need to do. She may have wanted time to herself, but she needed to get to a place where she could recuperate safely. Survival was all that mattered.

Thankfully, a large, beat-up truck came by. Laden with water melons, it seemed headed for the city. The driver inside was a rough looking man, with a cut on his fuzzy jaw. He must have noticed the unsuitable clothes, and the slight sway in her stance, and the flecks of blood, and the dead eyes. When he offered for her to enter, she took it without hesitation. He warned her to be careful of the handle, but the searing hot metal actually seemed to keep her awake. As she slid onto the rough threads of the seat and closed the door, she contemplated the material. She contemplated the fibers in the seatbelt, too, when the truck groaned into life. These were two kinds of textiles she had not experienced before. It made her think, and give a distant smile.

Comforted by the feeling of two new kinds of fibers, both for their rough-hewn softness and the likeness to her own origins, Nui Harime slipped into a blissfully dreamless sleep.


	2. Brand-New Home

The man in the truck had dropped his produce off to a market, urging Nui to stay put. Now that she'd woken up, she had no qualms with sitting down a while. The truck's radio was busted, and the vents barely wheezed with stale air to cool the cab. Just being able to sit on the strange woven fibers of the seat was enough for Nui. They were so stiff, and so loosely wound, but they were also very comforting. The seatbelt was tightly woven, and while it was also stiff, it had a smoothness to it that was completely different from the seat. Thankful that her skirt's blades had dulled and therefore not rent the slightly scratchy fabric, Nui fascinated herself with these new fabrics. When she'd traveled with Ragyo, she'd never had to use such lowbrow transportation. Ragyo had demanded a certain degree of comfort for herself and her inner circle, and Nui was just now realizing she'd even used specially-made seat belts of a finer fabric. All sorts of memories were rushing back, now, regarding the liberties that the head of REVOCS had demanded in terms of procuring the finer things in life. A lifetime ago, Nui's wonder and appreciation for these things led her to believe that this was one of Ragyo's many triumphs. Refined textile seat belts now seemed kind of stupid, honestly.

Quick as he could, the man got Nui to the hospital. The doctors took her in, and as Nui passed by a mirror, she realized that her trek had perhaps taken a toll she'd not noticed. She had bruises all over, and what could be seen of her thighs were scratched and raw. That insistent voice in her head reminded her that the Life Fibers were focused on keeping the essential parts working. After the doctors looked her over, it turned out that this had been quite the laborious task. Nui had several broken bones which had formed a strange variation of the healing lattice grown by the skeleton, and she had a fair bit of blunt force trauma to her. The doctors thanked the man for bringing Nui in, and assured him she'd receive the best possible treatment. She waved him good bye with that same vacant smile that had become pretty usual for her, for no other reason than she just felt like it. Normally, such an action would be done in her usual cheeky troll way. That seemed kind of pointless, for now. She could bother with her social Schrodinger Fu when she felt better. Right now, everything hurt in every way, since her rush to find safety had culminated in an endorphin crash. Or something else, maybe, she wasn't quite sure what.

All of the doctors treated her with special care, as if she could break at any instant. So, when Nui hopped up onto the bed without even bending her knees, the almost inhuman movement took them quite by surprise. They looked her over briefly, allowed her into the bathroom to wash up her face and such, then returned her to the room from before. The doctor whom eventually came to stay with her for an in-depth check up was actually kind of delightful. He was a stout, portly man; like Ragyo's butler, but less like a creepy pig. He had glittering eyes behind big coke bottle glasses, and big, bushy white eyebrows. He had a scruffy little beard on his chin, and walked with a certain pep in his step. As he sat by Nui, he began to gently probe with questions in a Scottish accent. The first one he asked was, "D'ya understand English?" Nui nodded. "D'ya speak it?" She shook her head, no. He responded with a dry, "Lovely." This made Nui give a short little laugh. "My girl," he attempted, "may I ask where y'are coming from?" She gazed at him, with one azure blue eye and a heart-shaped purple eyepatch. "I hope it hasn't anything to do with that meteor which scared the daylights out of me earlier?" More short laughter caused him to tap his pen on his chin for several minutes. He eventually found some method to answer, but Nui did not think he deserved congratulations yet. "May I ask where your parents are?" She gave no response, other than drawing a finger across her neck. "Ahh," he responded, less disturbed than expected by her nonchalance. "I suppose it was some time ago, for y' to be accustomed to it?" Nui gave a minuscule nod, which still managed to make her ringlets bob and ripple.

Five minutes passed, and the only sound in the room was the scritch-scratching noises of the pen on the clipboard. Nui's head bowed, and she conked out for a moment. She calmly rose back up when the doctor gave a quiet clearing of his throat. He explained to her, "We would appear to have a problem. Your treatment will probably take about half-an-hour more, and a night's rest. We don't quite have the resources to keep ya here any longer, but I do not feel right releasin' ya onto the streets. Until we can secure you a place to stay, would ye be alright with occupyin' mine, my wife's, and my son's and daughter's home?" Nui thought for a moment. Staying with a doctor was a step down from what she was used to, but she knew what they said about beggars and choosers. She nodded to the doctor. "Yes, ye would be fine with it?" She nodded some more. "Very well. I'll leave ye in here to rest for two or three hours. We'll see if any further action is needed after that. If ye need us, that big green button by the bed turns on an phone to the nurse. She's a sweet lass, and she'll bring you food or water if you need it. Keep in mind, it won't be winnin' any chef-type awards." Nui gave a little breathy laugh again, and laid her head against the pillow. Placed up against the wall, she was in a good position to look out of the window. Up on the fourth floor, she had a nice view to a mountain range in the distance. The land in between was a patchwork quilt of dusty yellows and verdant greens. It was very nice.

Try as she might, Nui could not sleep. It took her ten minutes to give up. Sitting up, she found her fingertips itching and fidgeting. They played with the hem of her scalloped, tiered skirts, and she felt an urge to put them to work. She looked out of the window, staring long and hard. She tugged at her skirt, and found something pulling off of it. Nui was rewarded with a needle and thread, extending off from her skirt. The thread was a misty white color, that seemed to contain many colors deep within. How there could be any depth to a thread was an oxymoron which amused Nui a nice little bit. She carefully set to work, taking the endless threads of her dress and sewing them into a new work. Earthy yellows and greens formed what would be an ankle-length skirt, and a blouse. It seemed to miss a little something, so Nui added a vest. A grayish, grape-like purple color suited it fine. The result was a nice ensemble, to be sure, but it was still just not complete. Nui urged a new implement from her hand, and carefully, lovingly altered the hems of the vest, and the skirt, and the ends of the sleeves. She found the manufactured tatters to have an incorrigible charm. Carefully separating the pieces and folding them up, Nui smoothed out every crease and wrinkle. She fell asleep with them in her lap, and this was how the doctor found her about two-and-a-half hours later.

In the mean time, however, Nui would be beset by frightful and vivid dreams. That red and gold girl Ryuko, defeating herself and Ragyo and the Primordial Life Fiber. It had been exceptional pain, and had left Nui with no one to really call her own. When she thought back to Ryuko, though, she looked so beautiful. Even delivering the killing master stroke to her, it felt right, somehow: better than dying at the hands of anyone else at all, at least. Ryuko had been absolutely, shockingly, painfully beautiful, and so uncompromisingly powerful, like the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares or something. That image would be burned into her mind forever: that girl who had gone from being thrown out like garbage by her mother, to outshining every star glittering like sequins in blackest, blackest velvet. The many colors of Shinra Koketsu, silk chains strangling through her soul. The burning reds and golds and fires of Senketsu Kisaragi, burning away her body and setting her free. Even if the Life Fibers within her were not sure what to do with this newfound freedom, they would manage somehow or another. So, Nui felt fairly assured as her dream settled into a cool, dark, quiet place.

Then, it became apparent. Incredibly bright, and incredibly close. Nui opened her eyes, to see three indistinct figures amidst blinding brightness. They seemed female, but it was too bright to look at them for very long. They were saying something. What could it be? Someone else was calling to her, but screw them! What did these people deep inside of her dreaming soul want to tell her? She was on the verge of crying with gratitude to hear it just as she awakened:

**You Are Not Alone. Your Family Is At Honnouji.**

When Nui awoke, her eyes flew open, and scanned the room around her. The doctors were looking over the dress she'd made, so she most likely had not made a big scene whilst she was dreaming. The doctors were muttering about the quality of the dress, and the sewing tools she'd clutched in her sleep, and how she probably snuck them in using her clothes. Perhaps she had, but not quite in the way these doctors thought.

Nui was delighted to hear that she could leave the hospital soon. A few final check ups showed that some rest was all she needed, although it surprised all of the doctors present to see how Nui was almost completely healed. Such a rapid recovery was commented upon in hushed tones as being almost "inhuman," and this made Nui shake imperceptibly with laughter. Nonetheless, she was permitted to leave with Doctor O'Connor while he was on break, so as to be installed at her new home. On the ride over in his old Morgan automobile - which had been restored with a cherry red paint job and whitewashed wheels and a matching interior - he informed her that he had called ahead to his wife, and prepared Nui's living arrangements. "M'afraid ye'll have to settle for her mum's old upstairs sewing room, from when we first moved to th' area," O'Connor apologized. It confused, but also pleased him to see an approximately beaming expression on Nui's face in response.

They arrived, at a rather squat house with what Nui presumed would be her room jutting up from the back, with a little covered balcony sprawling over onto the rest of the roof. The good doctor had just enough time to usher Nui inside and kiss his wife's cheek before he had to run for it. His wife was a stocky woman, with faded red hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a plain white blouse, blue jeans, and what appeared to be combat boots. She looked Nui over with that delightful mother hen quality to her actions, and Nui allowed her to. It was kind of nice having someone act truly genuinely concerned for her. And by 'kind of nice,' that of course means it was exciting and very nice. The older woman introduced herself as Annabel, Anna for short. "I don't want ye t' be addressin' me with any highfalutin' titles or manners a' speech," she explained in a throaty voice, and an even more pronounced Scottish accent than her husband. "I want ye to feel comfortable, though, so just call me by whatever makes ye comfortable, ye hear?" The blonde girl nodded eagerly, making Anna smile. The woman tussled Nui's hair, proclaiming "I like t' see yer enthusiasm, lass. What say we get'cha up to yer room, and if it suits ye, ye tell me whatever name I can call ye by?" Nui nodded some more, and followed Anna into a back room.

There were great big barrels which smelled heavenly in one far corner, and a wooden stair case in the other. As she climbed after Annabel, Nui delighted in the creaking and complaining of the steps. For some reason, Annabel apologized for the racket. When they had finished their ascent, Nui quite suddenly found herself in an amazing room. Obviously, the first things to catch her eye were the many varieties of sewing materials. Up on a shelf were boxes of scissors and seam rippers and everything else, and mason jars full of color-sorted sequins too! On another wall were wooden pegs, securing bolts of colored cloth. An entire sewing table had been set up, with a hefty machine and a cast iron pedal to power it. Hanging from the rafters in certain places were big banners of bright green and red and orange. All of the light in the room came from the balcony, which Nui romped around on for a minute or two straight. When she came back in, she looked for where she'd sleep. Annabel was ready to apologize for the situation, but when she saw how absolutely gleeful Nui was, she didn't even bother. Nui flung herself bodily into the makeshift purple cloth hammock, hanging beneath a window with a view to the mountains, and snuggled herself in to get situated.

Annabel opened a chest which Nui had not even managed to spot in her excitement, and took out a white pillow with intricate lavender embroidery. She handed it to the blonde girl, who fingered the lacy lavender frills around the pillow's edges for a moment before tucking it behind her head. "If ye need anythin' at all, such as if yer ready to eat, come down to see me," Anna smiled. "For now, just make yerself happy with the new arrangements." Nui's frenetic nodding made her white-gold ringlets bob in a way which Annabel could not help but laugh at, as she headed back for the stairs. Yet as she thought of something, she turned back to ask, "Just what may I call ye by, lass?" Snuggled into the hammock, it didn't take Nui very long to decide she could trust her new family, as it were.

"My…My name," she began, in broken English, "Nui."


	3. Intermission 1

_June 14th, 2014, 23:24:46_

_To the offices of the Special Projects Department,_

_It has come to our attention that certain elements of your activities have gone unaccounted for since early February. We understand and sincerely appreciate the services you provide, and how clandestine operations allow you to work at optimal efficiency. That does not, however, enable us to gloss over details which could exacerbate an already tenuous international situation. Accounting for the untimely demise of your previous director, and the impromptu installment of his successor, we will permit you a grace period to get your processes in order. There are numerous vague passages in your reports which unsettle the committee. We would prefer that you message us with all due haste, and confirm or deny these very ominous gaps in our knowledge._

_\- The Committee of Internal Review and Regulation_

_**June 15th, 02:07:45**_

_**To the offices of the Committee of Internal Review and Regulation,**_

_**I must beg forgiveness from the bottom of my heart. I arrived to this position amidst a great tumult and commotion, following the mysterious events which nearly stripped the planet of its life. I can confirm that in the lurid events which led to Director Thompson's death, low-priority projects were pilfered from our storerooms. Our investigation team has cornered the thieves, and they are in the process of retrieving two units of a new synthetic armor material. I have contacted you now, for I find this to be an excellent launching point for my first actions as director: to run a fine-tooth comb through this entire department, and correct every error which has been foisted upon me by Thompson, may he rest in peace. **_

_**Your concerns are well-founded, and met with only the most compliant of intentions. Rest assured that I intend to sort out all of the discrepancies left by my predecessor; it should delight you to know, we have projected that our efficiency in maintenance, safety procedures, and production output will have increased by 36% come the end of this week. Attached to this message are the protocols which I am enacting for the purposes of enhancing this department. I intend to usher in a new age for this department, and establish a new fashion of conducting our projects. Please, have faith in my abilities to lead this new department out of its ashen past. As a matter of fact, thanks to our newest products, the Egyptian government is willing to employ us as a go-between for affairs between this country and their own. Nothing would please me more than to see one united world, with one aim: the peaceful and honorable advancement of the human race.**_

_**Sincerely Yours,**_

_**\- The Director of the Special Projects Department**_


	4. If You Wanna, First Part

It was heaven, staying in that house with Doctor O'Connor's family. His son was a mechanic who worked a few blocks from home, and his daughter was a painter by trade. She spent the least time at home, and the most traveling near the city. She painted the most beautiful vistas Nui had ever seen, and she actually was invaluable for communicating with the family. As it turned out, Dolly had taken several years of French speech classes in high school and college, and was thus fluent. Nui happened to be fluent in this romantic language as well, because Ragyo would never allow anything less of her. So, even though Nui could barely speak English and none of the family spoke Japanese, thanks to Dolly's knowledge of the French language, the two of them could communicate that way; Dolly then relayed what Nui meant to say to the rest of the family.

Fortunate, perhaps, was how Nui's and Dolly's time tables were both mostly gravitated away from the family. After all, with the accommodations which Nui had been so magnanimously blessed to be lodged in, there was much to preoccupy herself with! She made shirts and pants, sequined scarves, and all manner of colorful dresses. Some were styled after certain mythological characters, after figures in folk lore too. Some represented a force of nature, or a human ideal, or an emotional expression. Others were simply made to fill the downtime, which came to Nui in abundance. Nui was not certain just how she felt about this new break in her previously busy life. It was nice to have a break, but Nui always got fidgety. When she got fidgety, she had to find new and escalating ways to satisfy her need for stimulation. No matter what, she could not allow herself to relapse into her old, no-good, violent means of breaking boredom - she couldn't put this new family in danger. If any of these good people, whom had taken her in - not because of threats, or in response to bribery, but out of that strange thing known as human kindness - suffered any kind of pain because of Nui, it would break her heart.

Then again, it was not merely to keep her hands from becoming idle that Nui worked, and worked, and worked. She slaved over the sewing machine, deliberated fastidiously over fabric and color choices, tried new methods and new tools…Generally, she did everything in her power to preoccupy her mind. There was something in her mind making the Life Fibers resonate. They were doing calculations, guessing how to make this seam ripper into a weapon, how to fortify that balcony and make it into a defensive position, and most courteously, the most efficient ways to get her new family to safety. There was a certain prescience which raw Life Fibers had; an ability few humans could hope to attain. That kendo fanatic who worked with Lady Satsuki had attained an ability which was analogous to the sixth sense the Life Fibers were exercising at all hours of the day, now. They could detect harmful intentions to themselves, in some vague way, and orchestrate safety precautions. Nui had a very, very bad feeling, and the worst part was that her only certainty was that she could not relax. Life Fibers could predict threatening factors by weeks, and from many miles away. Just because the enemy was not on the hill, that didn't mean there was not a small army just over the next one.

So, when Nui began to spot the shadows darting across the street at night, utilizing great stealth expertise, she knew she had to act. But how? Was there any way to do this precisely, without putting her family in danger? Would it be possible to wait them out, or would that prompt an attack on the O'Connor household? She was suddenly missing having someone she could talk to about this. Any other time, she would either start cutting up bitches like sections of cloth, or consult Ragyo, hell, even Rei about what to do. Admittedly, Rei's advice would be extremely welcome now, of all times. Too bad she was either dead, or unretrievable in the present time window. If she talked to any of the O'Connors, she could put them in danger by making her awareness of the threat known. So, what then? What was there for her to do? Would it be possible to - "Dammit, I can't even think over all of that racket," Nui cursed in Japanese below her breath.

A noise like fingernails being run over very rough cloth was scratching through Nui's mind. She really, really didn't want to risk coming into contact with the Life Fibers present in her. They might over react to preserve her safety, and end up putting the O'Connor family in danger. Yet the sound was persistent, growing louder, and growing closer. Nui had no choice but to answer it, and immediately found herself dragged into a mental scape. At first, everything was dark, and claustrophobic. Then, all of a sudden, everything started to exist. The patchwork ground, pink and purple and white and red. The tall trees of glass, with felt leaves, shading her from the glittering sun. Nui turned and turned, trying to find someone. On her third turn, she found him. Them. It? Him. He was an orb of pinkish light, orbited by heart-shaped white petals. For a long time, the two had the strangest staring contest Nui could conceive of.

Something in that glowing, globular sphere of light seemed familiar. It was comforting. It was like someone Nui almost knew, almost got to know, but wasn't able to. So, she did what came naturally. "Hello, whoever you are," she smiled, holding out her hands. "I feel like we've come close to knowing each other before. It's so good to finally meet you! My name is Harime Nui." She held out her hands, as if beckoning a cat to jump into her arms for cuddles. To absolutely no surprise on Nui's part, the ball of light jolted into her arms, and expanded the petals orbiting it so that they circled both of them. It felt so warm, like being hugged by a friend. It didn't feel like when Ragyo hugged her…When Ragyo hugged her, Nui had always felt powerless, and submissive to her semi-mother's caresses. This felt like someone who was just so, so happy to have contact with someone they'd waited forever and a day to meet. They could speak if they want to. It turned out that chaste, but intimate hugs were amazing and snuggly, even with a glowball like this.

The petals started to close around Nui, and formed into threads of light. They brought with them pictures, and sounds, and emotions, and ideas. This was…No, it couldn't be! She had never had this privilege! She'd never dared to think she'd one day be allowed this kind of thing! It was physically impossible, right? This was the one thing Ragyo could never procure for her, right? Then why were these threads weaving into her skin, and making her body glow and rattle with something completely excellent?

_Hello,_ the orb suddenly announced in a calm, comforting voice. _My name is Kyuketsu. May I be of service to you?_


	5. If You Wanna, Last Part

The trio of sharp-dressed spies crouched in the back alley, maintaining radio silence. They all wore suits of half-black, half-white, with color-coded ties. The apparent leader, a bald, dark-skinned man with an orange tie criss-crossed in gold pinstripes, kept his high calibre pistol ready. The other two were a short female, her blue tie fixed by a silver heart-adorned ring, and a broad man with a tortoise shell green-on-green tie. Each one kept their first two fingers on the side of their shades, as vital signs were relayed from inside the target's present residence. Most of the residents were asleep, but the target was standing just inside the balcony. None of them doubted the seriousness of the director, when the mysterious commander handed down their orders: if any innocent people took harm as a result of dereliction of duty, each agent would go back to their training. Each of them were lucky to have survived their first struggle through, and thus would die protecting citizens before they returned to that hell.

"This is Constantine reporting, we have attained visual," the broad man with the green tie rumbled quietly. "The subject has changed outfits for the first time since we've had eyes on her; it appears to be a white minidress with some kind of strange bow atop her head. Requesting for Frederica to move up." Frederica - the girl with the blue tie and blonde ponytail - nodded, and swiftly rolled in behind a dumpster. She tapped her shades, and wound out a small wire. This periscoping camera was snaked around the corner of the dumpster, to get a look. She didn't seem to believe what she was seeing, and so she shared her visuals with Constantine. The large man gulped, shivering, and spoke up. "This is Constantine again," he rasped. "We have spotted an anomaly. I don't think you are going to like this, Ricardo. The Big Boss will be simply delighted, though." He then brought Ricardo, their bald, goateed boss, into the sharing of Frederica's view.

For a long while, Ricardo stared to make sure he could believe his eyes. He then gave a long-suffering sigh. "Be ready for combat, team. I want Frederica to flank the target. I'll use a silent flasher to get her off the premises. Constantine, try to lure her out into the desert. If the rumors are true, we'll need to get approximately a quarter of a mile into the wilderness before we can confirm the security of the city. On my mark, synch." The other two quietly repeated the word 'synch' back as confirmation, and made sure their weapons were up to the task. The subject was glowing white, her nude body cradled by bloody wings. They closed around her, and dissolved into some kind of outfit. Before they could confirm what she had on, she got down low, and jumped high into the air. Higher, and higher, and still ever higher up into the air. "Okay, first jump, the subject has achieved stratospheric hang time. I'm logging this for the mission report. Let's get out into the desert. She might come down by the time we get out there." The group flash stepped out, marveling at the unreal air which Nui had achieved.

High above the world, Nui was reaching the apex of her jump. Her slender back curved, and she postured her limbs languidly by the light of the moon. She had on a white bikini thong, a skimpy top, thigh-high platform boots with garter belts, and fingerless gloves secured by heart-motif ribbons at the biceps. More ribbons fixed her garter belts to her briefs, along with the split sections of a transparent, tiered, ruffled pink skirt. A large pink ribbon atop her head contained twin eyes - black rings inside of pale blue sclerae, closing around slit indigo pupils. She had rounded pink epaulettes, as well, and a huge metal bow on her back trailing a pair of transparent pink trails. Executing her full backflip, Nui began her descent. Kyuketsu spoke in his reassuring voice, "We are returning to the surface from a height of approximately 30,000 feet. Because you have chosen to land in the desert, there will not even be low-lying cloud cover to obscure our descent. I am going to release a burst of energy at 15,500, 8,000, and finally, 500 feet to incrementally slow our descent. I have tested your reaction time, and you should be prepared for battle 3.4 seconds after you land. Allowing for superhuman parameters, your opponents will need at least that long to recover from the final deceleration. Are you ready, Nui?" Nui nodded excitedly, beginning to pirouette as she was slowed by the first explosion. "I am happy to see that you are as enthusiastic as I am about our first fight together. I will be handling your orientation, defenses, and weaponry, unless you choose to wield something in hand for added effect." The second explosion came surprisingly quickly, and slowed her down just a bit further. "This last one will be 2.6% more intense. Be ready to emerge fighting." The final explosion went off, hurling up dust and rock for several feet.

When the agents finally let their respective orange, blue, and green barriers drop, they saw Nui waiting in her kamui. "It's nice to fight people who appreciate the finer points of chic fashion statements," Nui smiled, waving at them with one leg cocked up like a goofy flamingo. "You look very professional, and yet incredibly stylish! Who designs your outfits?" She paused, as all of the agents adjusted their ties in unison. The bloody prints they left on the sharp edges began to glow, as all were consumed by locking chains of fibers. "Oooooh! That's very exciting! They look a lot like Satsuki-chan's Goku Uniforms!" The agents all emerged in full-body armor, color-coded to match, with visors shaped like their shades and scintillating Life Fiber ties. "Although, I'm not sure how I feel about your transformed states…" Frederica drew a pair of slender blue khukri daggers, Constantine tightened his heavy gauntlets, and Ricardo loaded his gun with crackling orange energy from his palm. "Oh, if you insist. En garde!" Just like that, she crouched down, legs back like a runner, and gently touched her finger tips to the unsettled ground.

Just as Ricardo unloaded three screaming shots of energy from his pistol, Nui took off. That speed tore great, gaping holes in the ground, as she darted through their midst. The ribbon on her back flailed into life, slapping them all into the air. Nui went spinning back through, kicking all of them apart. Ricardo and Frederica landed nimbly on their feet, whilst Constantine grabbed and crushed a massive cactus to slow himself. Untouched by the needles, he launched himself at Nui like a mean green torpedo. She seemed to be slowly, stiffly floating back to earth, smiling like the cheeky devil she was. Constantine arrived at her position with a huge clothesliner, hooking on her chest. However, she exploded into shining, heart-shaped petals of white light. Nui reappeared beside of Frederica, spinning two oversized and weaponized seam rippers. The two began to exchange blows, meeting each other hit for hit with a continuous spray of sparks. Frederica was distraught to find that the rumors about this girl were true. She was as strong as she was fast, and just as fast as she was strong! Her movements were jerky, inhuman, and her odd tempo made it difficult to track her. However, the HUD on Frederica's shades triangulated her best shot, and so she took it. An upswing broke Nui's guard, and the followthrough caught her in the chest.

Or, at least, it should have. That Nui exploded into more petals, as the genuine article swept Frederica's feet out from under her. She proceeded to throw her seam rippers on a pair of braided ribbon chains towards Ricardo. The rapidly whirling weapons clashed and hammered on his shield, but it did not budge. He seemed to be waiting for something, gauging for something. Then, in the milliseconds in-between Nui's impacts, the dome of glowing orange hexagons flickered out of existence. It was down just long enough for Ricardo to fire off a huge burst of fiery orange and crackling golden energy. The shield came back up just in time to block Nui's next hits, and she seemed to be too involved in the assault to dodge the shot. However, she nimbly did a spin into the air, and flipped her heels up over her head to commence with an even faster spin attack. It seemed set to rip out Frederica's throat, but Constantine arrived back just in time to slap it clear of her. He helped her up, and proceeded to lift her up. Whilst Nui reeled her weapons back in, staring her foes down, Ricardo shouted, "Foxtrot! Bravo! South Dakota! North Dakota! Rumble!" He proceeded to dash in towards Nui, gun blazing, as Constantine ran with one fist primed to punch her out, and the other carrying a crouching Frederica.

Nui weaved like fluid past all of the shots fired, and prepared to go for Ricardo's eyes. He abruptly activated his barrier, anchoring him in place and smacking Nui off. Deactivating his barrier in the next moment, he fired off a dense cluster of shots on her airborne position. Nui flickered out of sight with a flourish of petals once again, and reappeared behind Ricardo. However, she was forced to use her same trick again to dodge Constantine's ground-piercing punch. She reappeared high in the air, seam rippers at the ready, when Constantine threw Frederica and Frederica jumped off of his hand at high speeds. The two girls clashed in mid air, and went into a high-speed exchange of blows in their arc to the ground. Nui abruptly hooked their weapons together. She threw Frederica's daggers high overhead, and used her prehensile ribbons to throw the woman clear. However, she found Ricardo thrown at her again, forcing Nui to roll away jerkily. She sprang off of the sudden earth barrier knocked up by Constantine's blow to the ground, and arced through the air. Even when Frederica's daggers came circling past her to return to their master, moved by her mind alone apparently, Nui deflected them with barely a scratch.

The fight came to a standstill, as Ricardo tugged the pin out of a grenade, and threw it at Nui. She easily slashed it open with her ribbons, but discovered what a horrible mistake this was. High-pressure starch vapors gushed out of the small canister, and settled into a frost-like white coating. The molecular bindings almost immediately began to erode, loosening up Nui's movements. "I suggest we allow their escape," Kyuketsu advised Nui, as the trio slipped away towards an approaching aircraft touchdown. "You have used a considerable amount of blood to operate me tonight, and it is beginning to tax your sanguinary needs. I have provided you with a list of iron and vitamin-rich foods, which also match up to your memories of meals in your new home. Though I apologize for taking the decision out of your hands, please understand: your safety is so, so important to me, Nui." Breaking one hand free of the starch, then the whole arm, Nui reached up to stroke the tip of Kyuketsu's bow.

Indeed, the operatives had gotten away, and left no trace as to where they'd come from. Nui did several bounding leaps all over the city, making sure that she got all of the fun possible out of patrol. When she returned to her balcony, Nui transformed her Kamui into its new standard form: a striped pink and white vest, tiered, pink and white scalloped skirts, high boots and gloves, and a bow atop her head with just a suggestion of eyes. This had been the most fun night Nui had had so far! In fact, the fun had made the get-up-and-go in her get up and get going. Nui lounged in her hammock until she slipped into sleep.

Had she known what events would come to pass, and what horrors would become of her, she would have run that night.


	6. Intermission 2

_June 20th, 2014, 14:32:56_

_To the offices of the Special Projects Department_

_It is, in turn, we who must apologize for a slow response to your previous message. Fortuitous is the delay, however, for we have been able to review your progress, and evaluate the results. There are many positive things to note, but still some negative details which must be addressed. We have found that your projected estimates for efficiency increases have been exceeded by at least 3%, which is most impressive for such a new director. Additionally, your defense products have served important purposes for building better relations between the United States and other countries: namely Egypt, Germany, France, and Australia. We are most impressed with your work, and commend you on such a stellar beginning to your career. Beginnings, though, are something which continue to escape our oversight committee regarding this miraculous, nameless director. It is bizarre to note that we find no mentions of your director's name in any documents, other than coded names such as "Morning Peacock" and "Phoenix." We can understand protecting your director's identity from threatening sources, but to protect it from both your own employees and the groups which regulate the safe and honest continuation of your experiments is suspect. It is with respect to any possible circumstances demanding such activities that we request full disclosure of the director's personal effects, under secure channels, of course. We would also like an explanation as to the vast quantities of mysterious materials which were paid for by third parties in Germany and France, and shipped in under cover of darkness via Australian mercantile vessels. Regardless of your mysteries, however, you are proving to be an excellent director to fill the void of Thompson's passing. The standing chairman of the board, Silas Greene, would also like to extend his wishes for a long and productive working relationship._

_\- The Committee of Internal Review and Regulation_

_**June 20th, 16:08:31**_

_**To the offices of the Committee of Internal Review and Regulation,**_

_**It is tireless work, but satisfying work which has met your stringent standards for approval. I thank you sincerely for your kind words. It is thus with a heavy heart that I must decline your request to review my official documentation. The U.S. government is still securing my safety, and I am even forced to restrict contact to all but my closest of personnel. We can just say that I am fleeing a very hostile environment, and leave it at that. I can, however, elaborate upon my recent order for new materials. These are substances which have been approved by safety inspectors, and verified as legal by other inspectors. To let them fall into enemy hands would be an egregious affront to our national safety, and thus, I went through outer channels to procure them surreptitiously. My associates in Europe pooled their resources to purchase the materials from a military scientist in Japan, and they were flown to Australia in secret. I then had them shipped to America amongst various discreet shipping containers, and then moved into my care with equal clandestinity. I would like to assure my new comrade, Mister Silas Greene, that all of this was done according to the letter of the law, and in the spirit of the safety of this country's citizens. Do not mistake me for a dangerous rogue, please; I do confirm with surety that my operations are very strategically constructed.**_

_**Sincerely Yours,**_

_**\- The Director of the Special Projects Department**_


End file.
